Boutique Box - Your Style #Intelligent Style

POV: Leveraging the Fall Fashion Calendar

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 19:48:42 +0000

In the heat of Summer, we see stores shift to Fall.

The first Fall delivery for Fashion Brands in mass merchandised stores is typically between June 30-July 15.

As a consumer this doesn't make sense because you're living through the change in seasons and realizing that you need updates to your wardrobe to meet your moments now.

Consider the 'Yes, And' of improv -- you take what is given to you to work with and you build upon that. And perhaps, this gives you something even better.

The 'Yes, And' of Intelligent Style:

Start thinking about what your Fall calendar requires now and create an Action Plan for updating your Fall Wardrobe to be ready and avoid the last minute stress of 'what do I wear?'

Because that last minute approach typically includes rushed and forced shopping, impulse purchases, and complete outfits that you wear once because 'whatever this works' but then sit in your closet because they never were really quite right.

Not very fun.

Consider instead:

You've added 3-5 new pieces over the last few months that could build out a capsule on their own, but also integrate into your closet to work with pieces you already have.

So, you're getting ready for that big work conference and you go into your closet to decide what to wear.

You see that new blazer you love and realize that it could work perfectly with one of your favorite skirts. You see a blouse that ties the colors together. Quickly you throw on all 3 pieces and realize you just created a new outfit, effortlessly. It needs a simple finishing touch, though you skip the belt because the blouse tucked into the skirt is enough definition and the button on the jacket would compete. Instead, you add a simple necklace, your classic watch stacked with a couple of silver (or gold!) bracelets, and some simple studs. You complete the look with a comfortable pair of lower block heels. And you're out the door!

Now, that's fun! Plus, you keep getting complimented and you're comfortable and confident!

So, if the first Fall Delivery lands in stores by mid-July, that gives you 6-8 weeks to get ahead of your Fall Calendar.

The Intelligent Style Framework for Curating your Ideal Wardrobe

1. Take a Closet Inventory of what you already have.

Style is personal -- so your inventory and what that means for what you need is going to be personal too. Some women love a good dress for the one and done outfit. Others, prefer pants. Still others will mix it up between pants, skirts, and dresses.

What you want is a wardrobe that mixes and matches, not a wardrobe of outfits.

2. Consider your goals, your events, and anything that has changed that impacts your Style Evolution.

What does the next evolution of YOU look like as you walk into the room? Most of your closet comes with you through this next evolution, but this informs how you're stepping it up with these new pieces you'll add.

Are we elevating the colors, the fits, the fabrics? Are we shifting from pants to skirts and dresses? Are we adding the statement jackets to match the authority of that expected promotion?

3. ID what would add value -- this is your Wardrobe Action Plan

What do you want and what to do you need? For instance, if you were recently promoted and it's time to revamp your wardrobe, you may need more than just 3-5 updates for the Fall. You will still have plenty from your current closet, but you're stepping it up, so your list could look like:

2 blazers -- including 1 that will work with X dress
1 fit and flare dress
1 power dress
1 new dark pant
1 printed/textured pant
1 new skirt
4 new blouses
1 dark flat
1 bright heel

4. Set your Budget

Elevating your wardrobe is an investment in your energy. And yet, there tends to be guilt for women around spending on clothes. We live in a society -- and especially in our work environments -- where your presence creates your opportunities. You can't afford NOT to invest in how you show up.

So, to build the muscle and give yourself permission -- set your budget and work from there.

Remember: There is only one letter different between Expensive vs. Expansive.

If you love a piece, you'll wear it for years to come in so many ways and it's not expensive, it's expansive.

Now, get into action!

If some additional guidance would help, sign up for our free Power Up Your Presence workshop hosted by Boutique Box founder and CEO, Catherine Cassidy:

Get Started Now

4 Steps to ACTIVATE Your Intelligent Style

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:36:59 +0000

And Amplify your Impact, Influence, and Income

Why is Boutique Box so obsessed with solving the 'getting dressed for work' problem for women?

Because in Catherine's over 16 years of working with hundreds of women through 1-1 programs, online courses, in-person workshops and Boutique Box, every since woman experienced INCREASE -- promotions, business growth, visibility, income, impact, and influence.

Catherine left corporate fashion because I saw a massive disconnect between the customer and the designer, so I got to work learning and solving at the root of the problem -- in the customer's closet.

She simply felt passionate that it should be easier for women who are navigating all the things -- let alone the double standards -- to get dressed and feeling their best with ease.

And at the time, personal styling was NOT a thing.

She did not expect the spillover benefits that an authentic, innate, effortless style defined created -- increased courage and confidence to take bolder, bigger action. But it made her double down.

Here we are, 16 years later. Mass merchants still seem at a loss for how to solve this problem for the customer AND for their struggling businesses (it's most of the topics in The Business of Fashion articles). More on that in our next post, but to the point for you, the customer, is that it's not you. It's the industry.

Because you don't need a giant wardrobe to have a great wardrobe, you can reclaim your power as the consumer.

ACTIVATE YOUR INTELLIGENT STYLE:

>> Getting dressed for ANY occasion, start with how YOU want to feel.

You can adjust to meet the audience, but any look needs to be grounded YOU. The simplest way to do this to start is to build your outfit around one item that you love. Everything else can be 'appropriate.'

>> Start with what you have.

There is so much intelligence in your current wardrobe. Some pieces may have lived their life in your wardrobe, others you may have been holding on to as you evolved into your next level, and some will highlight elements you want to bring more of into your style (but these ones aren't quite it).

>> PLAY WITH YOUR CLOTHES.

Style is learned. Intelligent Style leverages a concept called Embodied Cognition -- learning through experience. Take ONE piece you've wanted to wear and play with creating outfits around it.

>> Support your Evolution.

Time is your most valuable resource. And as your life, style and career evolves, so will your style. Unless something has shifted in a big way (completely new work environment, new body, new baby, etc.), you truly don't need to add more than 1-2 pieces* at a time to elevate and evolve.

*inclusive of accessories, shoes, belts, bags, and clothes*

If you don't enjoy shopping or don't have the time it takes to find those 1-2 pieces, you're actually in the majority -- 68% of professional women find shopping a chore.

Outsource.

You can do it all, but you don't have to do it all yourself. #leverage

Resources to meet you where you are ...

If you need a fast transformation and have very specific needs, invest in 1-1 support. https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/VIP

If you need updates over time and want access for A's to your Q's, invest in the Boutique Box Membership. Get to know us and join the Intelligent Style Community here: https://www.yourboutiquebox.com/getstarted

If you need a few updates for an event and want confidence in the fit and style to try before you buy, book your Chloe Kristyn Style Edit: https://chloekristyn.com/products/curated-style-edit

Transform your Closet in 10 Minutes (at a time)

Wed, 08 May 2024 15:23:25 +0000

While the wardrobes of women getting dressed for work tend to need more than just a capsule, thinking about getting dressed within the capsule framework will multiply your wardrobe and make it a lot more fun to decide what to wear for the day ahead.

First, what is a capsule wardrobe?

35-40 pieces – a mix of tops, bottoms, jackets, shoes, and accessories – within a color story that mix and match together. With 35-40 pieces, you can get up to 100 outfit combinations.

If that seems extraordinary, consider this mix of pieces:

INTELLIGENT STYLE INQUIRY: How many outfits can you create from these 7 items?

Rather than looking at it as 2 outfits to wear with this one jacket, you can see all the different outfit combos when you consider the shoes, layering, and accessories.

Now, how do we leverage the capsule mindset?

Within the capsule framework, you’re wearing EVERYTHING in your closet. Every piece has a purpose. You’ve included each piece with intention. You add new pieces and immediately create 3-5-10 new outfits.

You leverage the capsule mindset by deciding that from now on, every piece in your closet has a purpose. You WEAR everything. Maybe not all the time (those cocktail dresses), but when the occasion arises, you’re prepared and excited for what you get to wear.

We’re not committed to ONLY capsule wardrobes because they’re constraining. That’s how they’re designed. But we are committed to ONLY buying things we love that make us feel amazing right off the bat. (Editor’s note: Some pieces you LOVE but you’re also not 100% yet off the bat … those are pieces that will move you along in your evolution of style.)

And how do we get here in only 10 minutes (at a time)?

Intelligent Style leverages a concept called embodied cognition. Embodied cognition is learning through experience. Embodied cognition is when you know something so innately, that it feels effortless. Intelligent Style is effortless. You get to effortless through experience.

What keeps us stuck from doing something we’ve always wanted (like have a closet full of clothes we love) is the overwhelm of the project.

So, let’s break it down. 10 minutes at a time.

Go into your closet.
ID 5 pieces you LOVE.
ID 5 pieces you want to love and you’re not yet ready to let go of.
ID 5 pieces you never wear and keep ‘just in case.’
For those ‘just in case’ pieces, immediately add them to your donation or resale pile.
Also for those ‘just in case’ pieces, note if you do need this item and add it to your ‘wardrobe action plan.’
Take those 5 pieces you want to wear and pick one to play with to create outfits NOW. Spend these remaining 7 minutes playing with clothes.

→Yes, you should not be over-thinking each of these categories. You KNOW. So the first 6 steps should take 3 minuets or less.

For your next 10 minutes:

Pick another 1 or 2 from your want to wear pile to play with and create outfits. These pieces tend to be the ones that stretch you to your next level of your style evolution. There was something about them that made you say YES to adding it to your wardrobe, even if you weren’t quite ready to OWN wearing them.

Step into it. Embody your next level.

For your next 10 minutes:

Rinse and repeat these 10 minutes of embodied cognition until you’ve gone through your whole closet and are left with ONLY pieces you LOVE and wear.

DIVE DEEPER WITH THIS FREE WORKSHOP ON 8/16/24

The 3 Elements of Intelligent Style

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 23:27:49 +0000

Intelligent Style™ leverages the concept of emotional intelligence as it relates to the psychology of style and human behavior to give women a new playbook for getting dressed for work that amplifies their presence, power, and purpose.

Our process is grounded in behavioral psychology and more than 15 years of helping professional women define their style and evolve their wardrobe.

The BEST part of the work is when the light goes on and she sees her power + potential.

Because, while style is the catalyst, the work is ALL about helping YOU see, own and feel your power + potential.

Ultimately, it comes down to Confidence.

Confidence comes from a true inner knowing of your self. Style comes from owning that inner confidence and projecting it through your clothes and presence.

Is it time for YOU to own your power + potential with complete confidence in yourself and how you show up as a leader?

Before you make excuses (we all do when it comes to change), rest assured that it really can be as easy as 1-2-3.

Let's break it down ...

-1- Get Grounded

Intelligent Style starts with Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is awareness of your self and your awareness of your environment.

As it relates to your style and presence: You can dress the part and look the part, but what happens when you don’t feel the part? You come across as inauthentic and thus untrustworthy. Maybe you look like you fit in, but there is something subconscious that those around you pick up as being incongruent with what you're saying.

To create buy-in as a leader, people need to trust what you’re saying is true. BS-ing doesn’t get you very far. Neither does ‘fake it ’til you make it’ if you don’t believe it.

You have to start with the inner work to get clear and confident before you even address the outer part of how you show up as a leader.

Consider these two questions:

How do you want to FEEL in each situation?
How do you want others to feel in your presence as a leader?

BONUS: Doing this work will also guide you to the places where it is fully safe to BE yourself.

-2- Get Clarity

Ultimately, what you wear DOES matter. To you. Studies have shown that you wear not only influences how others perceive you, but more important it influences how you feel about yourself.

So, how do you get clear?

Create a Style Vision Board.

When designers start a new collection, this is the first thing they do. They call it a mood board, but it's the same idea. This mood board is to define the essence of the collection. This is what you're going to do for yourself and your style.

Creating this, too, is as easy as 1-2-3:

Find images that inspire you. These are NOT clothes, outfits, or people wearing clothes you think you like. These are images such as your favorite room, an image from a travel adventure, your favorite place to be, architecture, art, nature, etc. These images together start to tell a story -- your story.
ID the Essence of your Vision. Is there a theme with the colors? The vibe? The locations? With the images gathered together are there words that come to mind that feel like you?
Save it somewhere. This could be a folder on your phone or something you frame to add to your closet so you're always reminded of the vibe you're creating for your highest self and style.

-3- Get in ACTION!

As Nike says -- Just Do It!

Step 2 can be very esoteric up to a point (unless you opt into support with Boutique Box — congrats, you’re already in ACTION!).

Step 3 cannot be ignored or you’ll stay stuck in the mode of ‘closet full of clothes and nothing to wear’ and frustration … wearing the same thing every day (or some iteration of the same) because, whatever, it works! That’s not a very powerful place to come from as you show up as a leader.

Change happens one step at a time. So yes, once again, 1-2-3 ...

So get into action:

GO INTO YOUR CLOSET AND ID AT LEAST 5 PIECE YOU LOVE. All caps because this is important. Analyze and ID what you love about these pieces. You're going to ONLY bring more of what you love into your closet going forward.
CLEAR OUT AT LEAST 5 PIECES YOU BOUGHT TO FILL A NEED BUT NEVER WEAR. They served their purpose. Thank them and let them go. (You can release more than 5, but it's a good starting point.) They can be donated, re-sold, or recycled.
CREATE A WARDROBE ACTION PLAN. And only buy 1 or 2 pieces at a time. ID what will add value, what's missing, and what you want more of so that you are already prepared for any last minute event or meeting.

The reason why you have those pieces in your closet that you wore once for that specific event is because you weren't prepared and haven't curated a closet that mixes and matches. With a Wardrobe Action Plan (and especially with leveraging Boutique Box to outsource this for you), you are clear on what you are looking for and can prioritize it to your calendar and career goals.

If finding those pieces to curate your Intelligent Wardrobe feels like too much work, the Boutique Box Membership does it for you. The investment is $250/year and we'll guide you to create your profile (a process also designed to create clarity). Then, each month we'll recommend 1-2 pieces perfect for you from our emerging designer partners.

LEARN MORE TO GET STARTED TODAY

The 3 Core Values of Intelligent Style

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:36:29 +0000

Style can feel superficial, especially for women who've been working to be seen as more than how they look for most of their lives.

“From a young age, I’ve used my clothes to tap into my inner self-assuredness when going into situations when I was way outside of my comfort zone. I remember walking down the aisle in my first communion dress. I remember my first day of a new school in a new town in 5th grade. I remember every day of sorority rush at a school 2000 miles from home where I didn’t know a soul.

It wasn’t about how I looked in those moments. It was about how I felt.” – Boutique Box CEO, Catherine Cassidy

Our WHY as a company is simple: We believe it should be easy for women to find clothes they love that fit. Style is a powerful communication tool – it creates connection with others and it connects us into our authentic power and presence. We call this Intelligent Style™.

Intelligent Style is an external representation of your inner self.

It strips the masks, the personas, the ‘shoulds’, the shame, the costumes we wear to be ‘taken seriously,’ to fit into a mold, to avoid bias, to avoid being sexualized.

Intelligent Style is freedom to be you.

If you’re downplaying any part of yourself — your gender, your culture, your personality — you’re not bringing your full self and your best work to your team. You’re operating with a handicap.

And we recognize that for women it actually takes a lot of work to get to this place to feel totally safe to be seen. Even then, you may not feel totally safe AND YET you’re brave enough to be vulnerable to be seen. This is why we’re so passionate about supporting you in creating your Intelligent Style.

Ready to create your Intelligent Style? Start embodying the 3 Core Values of Intelligent Style.

BASICS DON’T HAVE TO BE BORING

You don’t need another pair of black pants. But, you do need the pair of black pants that are perfect for you.

Your black pants won’t look like your mom’s black pants or your best friend’s black pants.

And, they don’t have to be boring. What they do have to be is a pair that makes you feel your best and the most YOU you can be. So, they could be simple. But if they make you feel YOU, then they’re not boring.

There are just a few variations on black pants that could do that for you…

And when you commit to ONLY buying clothes you love that fit, you will not only find yourself buying less, you will also find yourself wearing more of your closet.

Which brings us to …

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE INVEST IN THEMSELVES

“Behind every successful man is a woman.” Indeed! Because the societal expectation of the stay at home spouse afforded men to work without worry of caring for the family or the house. All those ancillary needs were met without their extra time or energy.

And now that men are single longer or, if they get married, their spouses are working as well, men are quicker to invest in something that makes their lives easier, saving time and energy.

Perhaps it’s because women’s wealth and security had been tied to essentially being the property of men for so long before we started creating our economic freedom post WW2 that we’re still untying those knots in our belief systems that keep us from investing in ourselves.

Regardless of the reasoning, the truth is simple: successful people invest in themselves and saving their time and energy.

With style, this manifests in only allowing ourselves to buy the $30 pants from Target that work OK rather than the $200 pants that feel like butter when we can indeed afford the investment piece.

So, let’s reframe the investment …

We’ll have to replace the $30 pair in 3 months (again and again) and the $200 pair will last us years (and likely until something shifts and we give them away rather than throw them away).

“You don’t need a giant wardrobe to have a great wardrobe.” – Catherine to every single personal styling client

What you need is a wardrobe full of clothes that you LOVE and wear. Investing in the pants you LOVE means you don’t have to spend the time, energy and money to buy another pair every 3 months. We call this return on your investment ROW, or Return on Wear.

Beyond style, some ways you can create a support system for yourself, even if that means starting small.

Some ways you could start investing in yourself to save your time and energy:

Pay the small fee to have your groceries delivered
Fluff & Fold laundry service
Cleaning Service for the deep clean, as needed
Boutique Box membership (of course!)

Some ways to invest in yourself when you need to be mindful of your spending:

Create a daily self-care routine that empowers your day (morning journal, exercise, daily nature walks, reading, cooking … whatever it is that feeds your mind, body and soul)
Set a budget for your wardrobe updates and create an action plan to mindfully update with pieces you LOVE
Get a Library card for your book cravings

Which brings us to …

EMPOWERED PEOPLE EMPOWER PEOPLE

“As you let your own light shine, you unconsciously give permission to others to do the same.” – Marianne Williamson, Return to Love

As you own your Intelligent Style, you give permission to the women around you to do the same.

This has happened time and again with Catherine’s personal styling clients. They would step up their style (simply for themselves and their time), and they would notice that the women in their office started stepping up their style, too.

The evolution of fashion and the trends for women through the decades have been dictated by societal norms, shifts in the economy, women entering the workforce and navigating male dominated industries, and as we highlighted earlier, the desire to be seen for more than how they look.

The French word for ‘suit’ is ‘costume.’ And for many people, that is what getting dressed for work is – putting on your costume to get out the door. We dress to fit into a mold of ‘should’ that keeps us safe and doesn’t ‘distract’ from the work we’re doing.

But your playing small doesn’t serve the world. We need your light. We need YOU. Not everyone is Malala. But no one else is YOU.

And as you let your own light shine, you light the way for others to do the same. As we do that collectively, we will see the change we want to see in the world.

Boutique Box can’t solve for every challenge women face in this world, but we can make getting dressed empowered in your unique style easier. The women we support are the ones who will solve for the challenges we face collectively.

JOIN US ON OUR MISSION!

What is Intelligent Style & How do I get it?

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:13:39 +0000

When you think about your style...

a) I feel good in general and great sometimes.

b) I feel like I look okay.

c) I feel like I look appropriate.

d) I don't feel like I have one or I don't like the one I have.

e) I feel empowered.

If you're not there yet, our goal is to get you to (e).

The ultimate question about style for women is 'where do you start?' When everything you do is going to be looked at under such a discerning (double standard) lens, whether you're just starting out or already ascending in your career, style and 'dress code' is ambiguous in the workplace.

So, what is a woman to do?! Develop your Intelligent Style!

Defined as: [A person's] style is so embodied and [their] closet is so well curated that getting dressed for any occasion to feel empowered in their style is innate and effortless. They don’t even have to think about it.

Intelligent Style creates connection. You get dressed to connect to your inner power and to connect to your audience for the day ahead.

So, how do you develop your Intelligent Style?

Step 1 // ISQ: Intelligent Style Quotient

Courageous, Committed, Connected, Consistent, or Confident. Your style is always evolving.

Your ISQ tells us where you're at in your evolution to Intelligent Style and being completely confident in your Intelligent Style. ISQ is like EQ. It is learned. Knowing where you're at gives you the roadmap to get where you want to go.

Step 2 // Style Inspiration creates your Mood Board

Designers create a ‘mood board’ before creating a collection. This is the essence and the colors, prints and textures that inspire the collection. This is their style inspiration – and it’s not necessarily people.

Think about this for yourself: What are the favorite rooms in your house? Your favorite places you've visited? Your favorite pieces of art? Your favorite pieces of furniture? And why? Is there a theme or any kind of common denominator.

With this, we start bringing your inner style out to create that external representation through the clothes you wear.

As Boutique Box member Julie P. marveled at how we delivered “clothing [that] fits and [she] wouldn’t have picked them out for myself”.

Step 3 // ROW: Return on Wear.

Take the price you paid divided by the number of times you’ve worn it and you get the return on wear for your investment.

It can feel difficult to create an effortless appearance without buying an exuberant amount of items. Intelligent Style helps you recognize all the potential one item can have. When you have a closet curated intentionally, each new piece immediately creates multiple outfits and can even be worn across many occasions, just styled differently.

Boutique Box client Mary Anne R. was so excited that “[she] was able to immediately create 3 new outfits out of one piece Boutique Box sent me!”

Mary exemplifies the goal of Intelligent Style. Creating a simplified wardrobe that allows you to have a better understanding of your clothing; also reteaching your brain to visualize opportunities for pieces of clothing depending on the occasion.

Step 4 // Closet in the Cloud

We ask to start getting a picture (pun intended!) of your current closet so we can see what you have now to see how we can guide you to bringing your Mood Board vision of your style to life.

What you love to wear vs. what you want to wear tells us a lot about where you're at in your style evolution.

One thing Catherine learned in her years working with women executives 1-1 to curate their Intelligent Style is that you need to start in their closet and where they are -- there is a lot of intelligence in what you've already bought for yourself. Then, piece by piece, you elevate their style with pieces they wouldn't have found on their own, but that are a perfect fit. If this step of a Closet Inventory is skipped, you end up buying more clothes that create more clutter than clarity because you didn't take the time to plan and be intentional. (Hint: Boutique Box does this for you!)

Step 5 // DTC: Direct to Consumer

Speaking of pieces, Boutique Box collaborates with DTC designers, which means they’re not focused on growing their sales through wholesale channels (department stores, boutiques, etc.). They’re focused on selling directly to you. The brands we work with are also creating with you especially in mind (rather than mass market). Additionally, you won't find them in a department store.

This means the retail price is aligned to the value and quality.

As Shelley W. proclaims, “If you’re not loving & wearing over 50% of the clothes you own, take the money you would normally throw away on clothing anyway and hand it to Catherine. You will gain confidence, learn new skills and develop a wardrobe you love.”

Well, thank you, Shelley! We're biased, but we agree with you!

The Intelligent Style Framework leverages Boutique Box founder Catherine Cassidy's 14+ years of working with women getting dressed for work and creating tools to guide them to bring their style to life on their own. Every client always had her style within her, and Catherine guided them to see that. Boutique Box was founded on this idea. And, that the hardest part is finding the pieces that bring your style to life. You know what you like. The problem is the time it takes to find it.

Intelligent Style emboldens women to be their most authentic selves; so they can feel comfortable in their own skin, rather than using clothing to hide it.

We take your Intelligent Style Profile and connect you to the pieces from our designer partners that we know you'll love.

Intelligent Style is innate, authentic, and effortless. It also saves you time, energy and money.

If that sounds empowering for your closet & time, you’re invited to learn more and get your invite for the Boutique Box Membership.

If you lead a team, consider booking an Intelligent Style workshop to support your talent -- we give women back their time while empowering their presence & amplifying their impact.

Learn More Now!

What the HECK is Business Casual?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 22:20:55 +0000

In some ways, the uniform of a suit makes it easier to 'be appropriate.'

Even before Covid changed everything, the ambiguity of business casual for women created another level of stress in the endeavor of getting dressed for work.

While the nuance of navigating business casual can feel daunting at first, it also offers you an opportunity to be more creative and define for yourself your personal brand.

Style is a powerful communication tool.

Leverage it to embolden yourself through your day and create authentic connections with others.

Business Casual, defined: A step below a suit, but a step above jeans and a tee shirt.

Business Formal will tend to lean more toward minimalistic and conservative. Business Casual is open to interpretation, but offers women the opportunity to wear more colors and accessories. Generally, business casual will incorporate flowy blouses, day dresses (maxi/midi), slacks, casual pantsuits, solid/patterns shirts, and skirts. Regionally women interpret the definition of business casual differently. Depending on the weather norms and regional trends, it can be seen that D.C, NYC, San Francisco, and Miami share vastly different business casual styles.

In LA, Business Casual can mean jeans and a blouse.

In DC, you’re still wearing trousers or a skirt and maybe still a blazer, but just not quite a formal suit.

So, how does one navigate the nuance between the cities and the communities they’re connecting in?

A few #IntelligentStyle guidelines:

It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed.

So, when in doubt, step it up a notch. If everyone is wearing jeans + a blazer, and you’re wearing cute pants and a blouse, you’ll still feel really good and aligned to the style cues of the rest of the team. But, if everyone is wearing something a bit more elevated than the jeans + a blazer you’re wearing, you may feel initially a bit uncomfortable.

You do YOU

That being said, to create connection you need to acknowledge the audience and environment you’re in and dressing that and start with how you want to feel.

In new environments and with new audiences, creating connection by meeting people where they are helps to build the relationship. This doesn’t mean having to sacrifice who you are and your style. For these settings, start with something you absolutely want to wear that will make you feel emboldened.

If you’re the consultant coming into a team, you have the space to dress differently because they’re bringing you in to BE YOU and think differently. If you have total confidence and feel emboldened in your style, that energy can overcome the difference in dress code.

Focus on FIT

Please note: Size is irrelevant. If you look in your closet, you probably have a pretty broad spectrum of sizes. Please let that help you let go of an attachment to being a certain size. FIT is what matters. Fit is what will make you always feel your best.

What does great fit look like?

You can see your shape (the wrong size can make you look bigger than you are)
There is no bunching – a key indicator that a piece is too big
There is no bulging or pulling – a key indicator that a piece is too small
You accentuate your favorite ‘assets’
You dress for YOU, not hiding or playing small

Leverage these three guidelines to create your business casual.

Some Intelligent Style Business Casual inspiration:

Remember, the essence of Intelligent Style is YOU. So, take an outfit as inspiration for how you can make it your own.

Boutique Box curates your ideal wardrobe, one piece at a time. With #IntelligentStyle, you're ready for any occasion. Ready?

Get Started Now!